Elevator.



Ho. 719,114. PATENTED JAN. 27, 1903- ELEVATOR;

APPLICATION I'ILED KAY 22, 1902.

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.No. 719,114. 7 PATENTED 'JAN. 27, 1903. N. HISS. ELEVATOR.

APPLIUATIOH FILED MAY 22, 1902.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NELSON HISS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ELEVATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 719, 114, dated.January 27, 1903.

Application filed May 22, 1902.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NELsoN HIss, residing in the city, county, and Stateof New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inElevators, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention. has relation to an improved apparatus forcontrolling the movements of elevator-cars; and its principalobject isthe provision of means whereby a gradual stoppage is obtained whetherthe elevator be moving up or down.

My device is particularly useful in connection with electrically-drivenelevators, and by its use I obtain the effects desired without resort tocomplicated means for the safe use of the driving-motor as a dynamo.

A subsidiary branch of my invention is an improved form of hand-operatedcontroller for the prime mover adapted to be located upon theelevator-car.

A preferred form of my invention as used with electric elevators isillustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a sideView of one form of electric-driven elevator employing myinvention. Fig.2 is a view of the hoisting cables and sheaves of Fig. 1, seen at rightangles to the view shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic developmentof the electric connections and their relations to the variousmechanical elements of my invention. Fig. 4 is a side view of the top ofone form of electromagnetically-operated controller-drum capable of usewith my invention. Fig. 5 is a front View of the manipulator switchpreferably em; ployed by me on the car, and Fig. 6 is a sectional Viewof said manipulator.

My invention is capable of application to many types of hoistingdevices; but I have shown it in the accompanying drawings associatedwith the type of hoisting means described and claimed by me in mypendingapplication, Serial No. 97,279, filed March 8, 1902. Here thecage 1 is shown provided with pulleys 2 and 3, secured, respectively, tothe top and bottom thereof. A hoisting-cable 4 is fastened, as at 5,over the elevator-shaft and passes, as shown, under pulley 2,0ver thefixed sheaves 6 and 7, and over pulley 3. At

Serial No. 108,469. (No model.)

this system any of the pulleys or sheaves over which the cable 4 passesmay be revolved, and thus used as a driving-pulley. The tension exertedby the weight 8 is always transmitted equally to both sides of thedrivingsheave, as 7, and since said weight or its equivalent does notmove when the car is operated its effective influence in producingoperative fractional friction at the drivingsheaves is never impaired.

As shown in Fig. 1, the sheave 7 may be used as the driving sheave. Theprime mover, an electric motor 9, acts through the shaft 10 and pinion11 to drive the larger gear 12, thus reducing the speed of the sheave 7,which turns with 12.

At 13 is shown an automatic strap-brake of awell-known type (bettershown in Fig. 3) arranged in a well-known manner, so that when currentis introduced into the drivingmotor 9 the brake is off, but is appliedautomatically when current is interrupted.

1 have not illustrated in detail the various changes in circuit adoptedfor control of the motor 9 audits reversal, since various means are wellknown in the art for this purpose. I have therefore simply shown adrum-controller box 14, operated in one direction or the other bysolenoids 15 and 16, which reciprocate a rack 17, engaging a pinion 18on the end of the operating-shaft of the controller.

Preferably mounted upon the shaft 10 or otherwise arranged tonecessarily turn with the sheave 7 is a closed-circuit armature 19,preferably of the familiar mouse-mill or squirrel-cage type, as shown.The field-magnet poles 20, wound with suitable conductors,

surround said armature, and when said poles diagrammatic relation inFig. 3, wherein are also illustrated certain further details, which Ishall now proceed to describe.

The three solenoids 15, 16, and 21 are all intended to act slowly upontheir cores, so that the positions of such cores will be at any momentdependent upon the length of time that they have been operating. Forthis purpose a well-known arrange mentof adjustable valve 29 is employedto regulate the escape of air on movement of the cores within theirinclosing coils, and thus moderate the movement thereof when movingunder the electromagnetic influence. I shall not illustrate these Valvesin detail, as I do not claim them herein and as they are well-knowndevices for the purpose named as used in solenoids.

The solenoids and 16 act oppositely upon a rack 17 to operate the motorin one direction or the other through the intermediary of thecontroller-box 14. The rack 17is brought back automatically to themiddle position (shown in Fig. 3) by the two springs 31, acting throughthe slotted lever 32. Thereis no resistance opposed by valves 29 to thisantomatic return movement of the rack 17, and hence the stoppage of themotor 9 can be instantaneously accomplished, if desired. The solenoid 21acts to gradually lift the bridging contact-piece 33, which introducescurrent from the long terminal 34 to one or another of the shortterminals 35 for controlling the braking action of the dynamic brake 1920. For this purpose the resistance-coils 36 are employed, or otherwell-known means may be used. It will be seen that as the contact 33slowly rises one after the other of the resistance-coils is cut out,until finally unimpeded current is introduced into the coils of themagnet 20 and the full power of the brake is applied. When currentceases to flow in the solenoid 21, the contact 33 drops back into theposition shown in Fig. 3 and the brake 19 20 ceases to act.

The manipulator on the car is shown in Figs. 3, 5, and 6. It consists ofa movable contactlever 37, having a handle 38 and pivoted at 39 to rockin front of circularly-disposed contact-pieces 4O 41 42. in Fig. 5.)These contacts are disposed in a single plane, and 37 rocks between themand an arc-shaped guide or retaining-piece 43. On the back of the lever37 is a fiat spring 44, which bears against an appropriate abutment 45and tends to press the lever 37 forward against the guide 43. Thistipping of the lever 37 is permitted by a joint or hinge 46. Suitablemeans are provided for bringing the lever 37 to the central position,and for this purpose I have shown herein the springs 47 48. As shown inFig. 3, the shape of the guide 43 is such that when the lever 37 isbrought to middle position it is allowed to fall away from the plane ofthe contact-pieces 40 41 42, and so leaves all circuits broken.Supposing now that the car were to be started in one direction, thelever would be rocked,

(Shown in dotted lines say,to the right in Fig. 3 and would be pressedagainst the contact 42 in opposition to the spring 44. Current enteringat the wire marked plus would energize the solenoid 28 and take off thebrake 13, thus liberating the motor. If desired, this liberating actioncould be accomplished by the actual motor-current in the well-known waywithout departing from my invention. The current passes from thesolenoid 28 directly to the lever 37, and when this latter is pressedagainst the contact 42 current passes by wire 26 to solenoid l6 and thento the return-main marked minus. This effects a gradual start of themotor 9 by the controller 14. If an emergency stop is required, thehandle is brought directly back to the position shown in Fig. 3, eitherautomatically or by hand. The solenoid 16 being thus deenergized, thespring 30 brings the rack 17 to the position shown and the motor isstopped, while at the same time the brake 13 is applied automatically byfailure of current in the solenoid 28. By pressing lever 37 against 40the opposite solenoid 15 acts to produce contrary movement of thecontroller 14 and operate the car in the contrary direction. Where anormal stop is to be had, however, instead of bringing the leverdirectly to the position shown in Fig. 3 it is kept pressed back, but ismoved against the contact-piece 41. This operates the solenoid 21 togradually apply the dynamic brake, and thus bring the car gradually andeasily to rest, with an efiect similar to that of an air -cushion. Whennearly or quite a full stop is reached, contact may be broken at 41,releasing the dynamic brake and locking the car by means of the brake13. It is evident that the dynamic brake may be applied on the lever 37,leaving either contact-piece 40 or 42, by simply maintaining pressure onthe handle in opposition to the spring 44. 7

It is to be understood that my present invention is not limited to theuse of any particular type of controllers for motor or dynamic brake,whether using solenoid control or not. Various means may be employed forsuitably operating the various principal agencies used by me, and myclaims are to be interpreted as covering these various means, howeverorganized or constructed, unless otherwise limited by the terms of saidclaims.

What I claim is- 1. In elevator apparatus, the combination of hoistingmeans, a prime mover therefor, an electrodynamic brake for said hoistingmeans and means for successively controlling the movement of said primemover and applying said brake.

2. In elevator apparatus, the combination of hoisting means, an electricmotor therefor, an electrodynamic brake for said hoisting means andmeans for successively modifying circuit conditions in said motor and insaid brake.

3. In elevator apparatus, the combination of hoisting means, an electricmotor therefor,

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an electrodynamic brake for said hoisting means, a manipulator-switchhaving two terminals respectively for opposite movements of said motorand a third terminal between the others for control of saideleotrodynamic brake, an electric circuit and a movable contact-piece insaid circuit adapted to be pressed against either of said stationaryterminals at will.

4. In elevator apparatus, hoisting means, an electric motor therefor, anelectrodynamic brake for said hoisting means, main controllers for saidmotor and brake, electromagnetic means for operating each of saidcontrollers and a switch adapted to establish operative electriccircuits in said main controllers successively.

5. In elevator apparatus, a driving-sheave, an electric motor therefor,a closed-circuit brake-armature adapted to turn with said motor andsheave, a field-magnet surrounding said armature and a switch adapted tosuccessively control the circuits of said motor and said field-magnet.

6. In elevator apparatus, hoisting means, an electric motor and anelectrodynamic brake therefor; in combination with a switch having astationary terminal for each direction of motion of said motor, a middleterminal for applying said brake, a movable lever capable of swingingover said terminals and of moving against or away from their plane andautomatic means tending to keep said lever out of the plane of saidterminals.

'7. In elevator apparatus, hoisting means, an electric motorand anelectrodynamic brake therefor; in combination with a switch having twostationary terminals for said motor and a middle terminal for saidbrake, a movable lever adapted to swing over said stationary terminalsand means tending to bring said lever to a middle position out ofcontact with any of said terminals.

8. In elevator apparatus, hoisting means, an electric motor, anelectrodynamic brake, a locking-brake, automatic means for applying thelatter brake and electromagnetic means for releasing it; in combinationwith a switch having two stationaryterminals for said motor and a middleterminal for said brake, a circuit through the releasing means of thelocking-brake, amovable switch-lever in said circuit adapted to swingover said stationary terminals and means tending to bring said lever toa middle position out of contact with any of said terminals.

NELSON HISS. Witnesses:

CHAS. F. HALSTED, HAROLD S. MAOKAYE.

